DOCSLIB.ORG

Buddhist Art Styles and Cultural Exchange Along the Silk Road

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Buddhist Art Styles and Cultural Exchange Along the Silk Road Buddhist Art Styles and Cultural Exchange Along the Silk Road By Martin Amster and Lier Chen This article is adapted from curriculum material to be published in From Silk to Oil: Cross-Cultural Connections Along the Silk Road, a project of China Institute in America, funded by the US Department of Education. The volume will contain twenty-three units in five sections: Geography, Ethnic and Political History, Exchange of Goods and Ideas, Religions, and Art. The activities described below are aimed at bringing the visual arts into the high school global studies classroom.1 inding through ters them cannot be spared from death. Even if you travel togeth- the deserts and er with a large number of companions, you might go astray or be W high mountain lost. How can you, reverend teacher, try to go all alone? passes of Central and Inner But the Master replied: “I started on my journey to the West Asia,2 the network of cara- for the purpose of seeking the great [Buddhist] Law. I will not van routes collectively called return to the East before I reach India. Even if I die on the way, I the Silk Road linked China won’t regret it.”7 to the Middle East and Xuanzang’s pilgrimage took sixteen years. What kind of reli- Europe. From the second gious faith made him (and others) risk their lives? century BCE on, it was a The Buddhism that spread to East Asia was called Mahayana major conduit for moving (Great Vehicle). It developed in India during the first centuries of people, ideas, and goods. the Common Era and later set down roots in China, Korea, Japan, Monuments such as the tow- Mongolia, and Tibet. In Mahayana doctrine, the Buddha and other ering fifty-three-meter (175 sacred beings take on god-like qualities. Rather than being an earth- feet) high Buddha at ly human teacher, the Buddha is regarded as an eternal being who is Bamiyan in Afghanistan the embodiment of universal and cosmic truth, who is neither born (destroyed by the Taliban in nor dies but lives from eternity to eternity.8 Xuanzang 2001) and the Caves of the Also central to Mahayana belief are bodhisattvas (bodhi is wis- © SPICE http://spice.stanford.edu Thousand Buddhas in north- dom, sattva is being), beings who remain in the world, delaying west China bear witness both to the importance of the Silk Road their entrance into Nirvana in order to help others reach enlighten- and to a once flourishing Central Asian Buddhist culture. ment. Bodhisattvas are depicted wearing worldly robes and elabo- The transmission of Buddhism from India to China (and from rate ornaments, said to symbolize this connection to the material there to Korea and Japan) is perhaps the most significant of the cul- world. tural exchanges that took place along the Silk Road. Brought from Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and other sacred personages have the India by missionaries and merchants, Buddhism was established in power to answer prayers and save all living things from suffering. the oases of Central Asia by the first century BCE.3 From there it This doctrine of universal salvation is central to Mahayana Bud- traveled to China, again along the Silk Road. The earliest evidence dhism’s appeal: It was no coincidence that Buddhism became part for Buddhism in China dates from 65 CE and, by the year 148, the of Chinese culture during a particularly violent and unsettled histor- first translator of Buddhist texts into Chinese was probably in resi- ical period. Between the fall of the Han dynasty in 220 and reunifi- dence at the capital of Luoyang.4 cation under the Sui in 589, China was politically divided and Chinese Buddhists also began to make pilgrimages to India, plagued by warfare, famine, and disease.9 in spite of hunger, thirst, bandits, wild animals, and some of the The arts are central to the transmission of the Mahayana world’s most difficult desert and mountain terrain.5 The monk Buddhist message. Images were created according to elaborate Xuanzang (circa 596–664)6 was the most famous of these systems of proportion and made sacred through ritual. New statues pilgrims. In 629 he set out alone for India to study, collect texts, were consecrated in ceremonies where the pupils of the eyes and visit sacred sites. Before he started out, an experienced trav- were painted in; relics, scriptures, magic spells, or textile eler warned him: models of human organs would be put within special hollowed-out The road to the West is dangerous and one has to cross the places. All this served to endow images with sacred life desert where there are demons and hot wind. Whoever encoun- and power.10 30 EDUCATION ABOUT ASIA Volume 9, Number 1 Spring 2004 TEACHER RESOURCE: The Arts and the Transmission of Buddhism—Three Objects FIGURE 2: Bronze Buddhist Altar. Chinese, circa 505 CE. Bronze, 13.7 cm. (5 3/8 in.) FIGURE 1: Colossal Buddha, Bamiyan, Afghanistan. Fourth to fifth centuries. high. Seattle Museum of Art. 53 m. (175 ft.) high. rt was important to Buddhist religious life. It was not only part Aof ritual and worship, but also served to transmit religious ideas, design motifs, and artistic styles between cultures. Fifty-three meters (175 feet) high, the colossal Buddha at Bamiyan (fig. 1)11 is hardly portable, yet it played a role in the dif- fusion of the Buddha image throughout East Asia. It was the model for Buddha figures in both China and Japan.12 Its great size (the dot on the right foot is a person) had a tremendous effect on travelers, and it’s possible that they took smaller reproductions back with them to China. Although the Bamiyan Buddha didn’t travel, small objects like this portable altar (fig. 2)13 might have been transported by the faithful over long distances. It was perhaps the kind of object a Silk Road merchant would carry in his baggage. Another kind of portable art is this votive scroll (fig. 3). “Votive” means to express a vow or a wish. Votive objects are offered to gods or saints as an expression of thanks, or to ask for a favor or blessing. They’re a common part of religious life in many cultures, past and present. These votive images were created with a wooden stamp. The owner demonstrated his devotion by making repeated impressions of the Bodhisattva: the very process of stamping was a devotional act whereby the doer accumulated merit. Sheets of paper filled with rows of images were pasted together to make scrolls and often placed in shrines. The portability of such stamps meant they could transmit image types and motifs. This scroll is from Dunhuang in northwest China, where two branches of the Silk Road came together after circling the fierce FIGURE 3: Votive Images of a Bodhisattva. Tang dynasty (618–907), 800–899 CE. Taklamakan desert. Dunhuang was one of the main points of From Dunhuang, ink on paper, 15.4 cm. high, 143.5 cm. wide entry for Buddhist missionaries and monks going from Central Asia (6 by 56 in.). British Museum. to China.14 31 TEACHER RESOURCE: Looking at Four Buddha Statues FIGURE 4: Standing Buddha. India, Gupta period (circa 319 to 500). FIGURE 5: Maitreya, Northern Wei (386–534). Dated 486. Mottled red sandstone, 85.5 cm. (33 11/16 in.) high. Gilt bronze, 1.40 m. (4 ft. 7 in.) high. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. ver the centuries, Indian culture exerted varying degrees of Since the Buddha was a spiritually perfect being, he was given Oinfluence on Chinese Buddhist art. Early Chinese Buddha an ideal physique. Also, the shape of the eyebrows (like an archer’s images relied heavily on Indian prototypes, especially for the drawn bow) or the eyes (like lotus petals) conformed to specific appearance of the face, robes, and body. During periods of active canons of beauty. Some features were taken from stories about the exchange, travelers, texts, and sacred objects flowed freely into Buddha. The tight curls on the head, for instance, were said by China. By contrast, when the Silk Routes were unsafe, Chinese some to be snails that climbed up to shield him from the sun during artistic styles developed more independently. By the twelfth centu- meditation. ry, when Buddhism had ceased to exist as an organized religion in Another goal sought by Indian craftsmen was to convey the India, this influence came to an end. The four images on these pages idea of prana or “breath.” This breath was a vital force that animat- show how Indian influence varied over time. ed the entire body. To convey this, South Asian sculptors and Figure 4 is an example of Gupta sculpture, “the classic creation painters made full-bodied, fleshy figures that looked as if their skins of Buddhism in India, [that] established the standard type of the were filled with air. To better show this, the thin robes cling to the Buddha image . .Whenever one thinks of the Buddha image one body, revealing the skin underneath. This is sometimes called the thinks of the Gupta type or its derivatives.”15 “wet look.” Specific features of the Buddha image (called lakshanas in This classic style “was exported in two main directions—to Sanskrit) indicated his wisdom (the circular bump on top of the Indonesia, and through Central Asia to the Far East.”17 The standing head) or nobility (the long earlobes). Hand gestures called Maitreya Buddha (Northern Wei, 386–534, fig. 5)18 is an example mudras symbolize aspects of the Buddha’s teaching: meditation, of this style as interpreted by Chinese craftsmen during the fifth fearlessness, debate, warding off evil, prayer, teaching.16 century, a time when north China was ruled by a non-Chinese 32 EDUCATION ABOUT ASIA Volume 9, Number 1 Spring 2004 FIGURE 7: Vairocana Buddha, Tang dynasty (618–907), circa 670–680.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Central Asia in Xuanzang's Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western
    Recording the West: Central Asia in Xuanzang’s Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions Master’s Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master Arts in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Laura Pearce Graduate Program in East Asian Studies Ohio State University 2018 Committee: Morgan Liu (Advisor), Ying Zhang, and Mark Bender Copyrighted by Laura Elizabeth Pearce 2018 Abstract In 626 C.E., the Buddhist monk Xuanzang left the Tang Empire for India in a quest to deepen his religious understanding. In order to reach India, and in order to return, Xuanzang journeyed through areas in what is now called Central Asia. After he came home to China in 645 C.E., his work included writing an account of the countries he had visited: The Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions (Da Tang Xi You Ji 大唐西域記). The book is not a narrative travelogue, but rather presented as a collection of facts about the various countries he visited. Nevertheless, the Record is full of moral judgments, both stated and implied. Xuanzang’s judgment was frequently connected both to his Buddhist beliefs and a conviction that China represented the pinnacle of culture and good governance. Xuanzang’s portrayal of Central Asia at a crucial time when the Tang Empire was expanding westward is both inclusive and marginalizing, shaped by the overall framing of Central Asia in the Record and by the selection of local legends from individual nations. The tension in the Record between Buddhist concerns and secular political ones, and between an inclusive worldview and one centered on certain locations, creates an approach to Central Asia unlike that of many similar sources.
    [Show full text]
  • On Doctrinal Similarities Between Sthiramati and Xuanzang
    JIABS Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies Volume 29 Number 2 2006 (2008) The Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies (ISSN 0193-600XX) is the organ of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Inc. As a peer- reviewed journal, it welcomes scholarly contributions pertaining to EDITORIAL BOARD all facets of Buddhist Studies. JIABS is published twice yearly. KELLNER Birgit Manuscripts should preferably be sub- KRASSER Helmut mitted as e-mail attachments to: Joint Editors [email protected] as one single file, complete with footnotes and references, BUSWELL Robert in two different formats: in PDF-format, and in Rich-Text-Format (RTF) or Open- CHEN Jinhua Document-Format (created e.g. by Open COLLINS Steven Office). COX Collet GÓMEZ Luis O. Address books for review to: HARRISON Paul JIABS Editors, Institut für Kultur - und Geistesgeschichte Asiens, Prinz-Eugen- VON HINÜBER Oskar Strasse 8-10, A-1040 Wien, AUSTRIA JACKSON Roger JAINI Padmanabh S. Address subscription orders and dues, KATSURA Shōryū changes of address, and UO business correspondence K Li-ying (including advertising orders) to: LOPEZ, Jr. Donald S. Dr Jérôme Ducor, IABS Treasurer MACDONALD Alexander Dept of Oriental Languages and Cultures SCHERRER-SCHAUB Cristina Anthropole SEYFORT RUEGG David University of Lausanne CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland SHARF Robert email: [email protected] STEINKELLNER Ernst Web: http://www.iabsinfo.net TILLEMANS Tom Fax: +41 21 692 30 45 Subscriptions to JIABS are USD 40 per year for individuals and USD 70 per year for libraries and other institutions. For informations on membership in IABS, see back cover. Cover: Cristina Scherrer-Schaub Font: “Gandhari Unicode” designed by Andrew Glass (http://andrewglass.org/ fonts.php) © Copyright 2008 by the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • IMAGES of POWER: BUDDHIST ART and ARCHITECTURE (Buddhism on the Silk Road) BUDDHIST ART and ARCHITECTURE on the Silk Road
    IMAGES OF POWER: BUDDHIST ART and ARCHITECTURE (Buddhism on the Silk Road) BUDDHIST ART and ARCHITECTURE on the Silk Road Online Links: Bamiyan Buddhas: Should they be rebuit? – BBC Afghanistan Taliban Muslims destroying Bamiyan Buddha Statues – YouTube Bamiyan Valley Cultural Remains – UNESCO Why the Taliban are destroying Buddhas - USA Today 1970s Visit to Bamiyan - Smithsonian Video Searching for Buddha in Afghanistan – Smithsonian Seated Buddha from Gandhara - BBC History of the World BUDDHIST ART and ARCHITECTURE of China Online Links: Longmen Caves - Wikipedia Longmen Grottoes – Unesco China The Longmen Caves – YouTube Longmen Grottoes – YouTube Lonely Planet's Best In China - Longmen China – YouTube Gandhara Buddha - NGV in Australia Meditating Buddha, from Gandhara , second century CE, gray schist The kingdom of Gandhara, located in the region of presentday northern Pakistan and Afghanistan, was part of the Kushan Empire. It was located near overland trade routes and links to the ports on the Arabian Sea and consequently its art incorporated Indian, Persian and Greco- Roman styles. The latter style, brought to Central Asia by Alexander the Great (327/26–325/24 BCE) during his conquest of the region, particularly influenced the art of Gandhara. This stylistic influence is evident in facial features, curly hair and classical style costumes seen in images of the Buddha and bodhisattvas that recall sculptures of Apollo, Athena and other GaecoRoman gods. A second-century CE statue carved in gray schist, a local stone, shows the Buddha, with halo, ushnisha, urna, dressed in a monk’s robe, seated in a cross-legged yogic posture similar to that of the male figure with horned headdress on the Indus seal.
    [Show full text]
  • Joseph Elacqua
    Citragupta: A Case Study in Esoteric Buddhist Appropriation1 Introduction For several decades, the Mahākaruṇā-garbhodbhava-maṇḍala2 大悲胎藏生曼荼攞, an iconographic, visual, and ritual device characteristic of Japanese Shingon 眞言 Buddhism, has been a rich source for academic scholarship on Esoteric Buddhism. First appearing in the Mahāvairocanābhisambodhi-sūtra,3 variants of the Garbhodbhava-maṇḍala are discussed in seven of its chapters as well as in a wealth of supplementary literature.4 For lack of a better term to refer collectively to these texts, I have employed the term “Garbhodbhava cycle.” Several studies relating to the Garbhodbhava-maṇḍala have blazed new trails, constructing a wholly new framework for present maṇḍala scholars. Toganoo Shōun’s 栂尾祥雲 study of maṇḍalas5 provided a crucial framework for the field of maṇḍala studies. Tajima Ryūjun 田嶋隆純 analysed both the Garbhodbhava- 1 I would like to express my deep and profound gratitude to Bernard Faure and Michael Como, each of whom provided invaluable assistance as the seeds of this project first began to sprout. I am also heavily indebted to Rolf Giebel for his unending assistance in the restoration of potential Sanskrit text titles. Sanskrit terms in this paper are romanized according to the IAST system, but with one slight variation. Rather than utilizing the Sanskrit anusvāra using the vague “ṃ” of IAST, I have elected to romanize this sound more strictly. When occurring before a plosive consonant, the anusvāra is romanized as the appropriate class nasal (ex: “saṅgraha” rather than “saṃgraha.” In all other cases—such as occurrence before non-plosives or at the end of any morpheme—the anusvāra is romanized as “ṃ.” 2 The Maṇḍala Arising from the Matrix of Great Compassion.
    [Show full text]
  • MONASTERIES and MONARCHS -- Xuanzang, 618-632 CE
    MONASTERIES AND MONARCHS -- Xuanzang, 618-632 CE Into the lush fields along the Yellow River fled two young brothers, Anticipating the decay of the Sui dynasty, he buried himself in the Buddhist monks. Abandoning their monastery they set out from study of his books. Many offers of provincial and district offices Luoyang, the eastern imperial capital, for Chang’an [Xi’an], 200 miles were pressed on him, which he persistently refused; he declined all upstream. There, according to rumor, a prince and an army maintained magisterial duties on the plea of ill-health…3 A order. China in 618 CE was no place for peaceful Buddhist monks. Xuanzang grew up reading classical texts under the guidance of his Around them, the brothers witnessed the final collapse of the Sui father. His older brother became a Buddhist monk, and when he noticed dynasty. Decades later, one of the brothers, Xuanzang, described this Xuanzang was “deeply given to the study of religious doctrine,” he took time to his biographer: “The magistrates were destroyed and... [monks] him to his monastery at the imperial capital of Luoyang and taught him either perished or took to flight. The streets were filled with bleached the basics of Buddhism, Xuanzang entered this monastery at age bones and the burnt ruins of buildings. At this time the books of thirteen. He studied, listened, and meditated until forced to flee seven Confucius and the sacred pages of Buddha were forgotten, everyone years later.4 was occupied with the arts of war.”1 Buddhism was already 1,000 years old at the time of Xuanzang.
    [Show full text]
  • Xuanzang's Relationship to the Heart Sūtra in Light of the Fangshan Stele
    Journal of Chinese Buddhist Studies (2019, 32: 1–30) New Taipei: Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies 中華佛學學報 第三十二期 頁 1–30（民國一百零八年）新北：中華佛學研究所 ISSN: 2313-2000 e-ISSN: 2313-2019 Xuanzang’s Relationship to the Heart Sūtra in Light of the Fangshan Stele Jayarava Attwood Independent Scholar, Cambridge, United Kingdom Abstract A transcription of the Fangshan Stele of the Heart Sūtra is presented in an English language Buddhism Studies context for the first time. While the text of this Heart Sūtra is relatively unremarkable, the colophon reveals that work on the stele commenced in 661 CE. This is not only the earliest dated reference to the Heart Sūtra in any language, but the date falls during Xuanzang’s 玄奘 lifetime (ca. 602–664). The status of the Heart Sūtra as an authentic Indian sūtra rests almost entirely on the supposed historical relationship with Xuanzang since it fails to meet the standard criteria for being a sūtra. The historical connection between Xuanzang and the Heart Sūtra is critically re-evaluated in the light of the Fangshan Stele and recent scholarship from the fields of history, philology, and bibliography. Keywords: Heart Sūtra, Xinjing, Prajñāpāramitā, Xuanzang, Fangshan Stele I thank Ji Yun for drawing my attention to the existence of the Fangshan Stele in June 2018. In writing this article I benefitted greatly from my correspondence with Jeffery Kotyk, especially in the area of Chinese historiography. He also made many useful comments on the first draft generally. Another friend, who wishes to remain anonymous, helped me to decipher the colophon and spotted many typos in Chinese.
    [Show full text]
  • Hsuan-Tsang (Xuanzang
    4. Hsuan-Tsang which took place before the waves of Islamic (Note: His name has a number of alternative hordes invaded that part of the world and spellings, such as Xuanzang) destroyed Buddhist institutions and murdered monks. At the time of Hsuan Tsang’s travels: Introduction 1 there was a great deal of religious activity, A large part of these notes reads as a travelogue. but less so than in previous centuries Much of his journey out of central China, before 2 practitioners of the different forms of he reached India, covered the ancient Silk route Buddhism sometimes lived alongside one that linked Europe with the Persian and Chinese another empires. I recommend that you refer to the 3 the worship of relics, and the practice of sketch map of Hsuan Tsang’s travels (sent in a philosophical debate, were well established. separate document). His travels Hsuan Tsang left China expressly against the Hsüan Tsang wrote an account of his epic wishes of the emperor and would have been journey from China to central Asia and India, severely punished, maybe executed, if he had which took place between 629-645 ce. This been caught before he reached the limit of the account, known as “The Western World”, is in Chinese controlled territory. His journey took twelve volumes. [It is not be confused with the about 18 years. He crossed scorching deserts, popular Chinese fiction Monkey King featuring icy mountains, and vast plains. In India he the adventures of the mythical monkey god.] sometimes travelled through tick forest. In the course of his travels he faced illness and poverty.
    [Show full text]
  • Silk Roads in History by Daniel C
    The Silk Roads in History by daniel c. waugh here is an endless popular fascination with cultures and peoples, about whose identities we still know too the “Silk Roads,” the historic routes of eco- little. Many of the exchanges documented by archaeological nomic and cultural exchange across Eurasia. research were surely the result of contact between various The phrase in our own time has been used as ethnic or linguistic groups over time. The reader should keep a metaphor for Central Asian oil pipelines, and these qualifications in mind in reviewing the highlights from Tit is common advertising copy for the romantic exoticism of the history which follows. expensive adventure travel. One would think that, in the cen- tury and a third since the German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen coined the term to describe what for him was a The Beginnings quite specific route of east-west trade some 2,000 years ago, there might be some consensus as to what and when the Silk Among the most exciting archaeological discoveries of the Roads were. Yet, as the Penn Museum exhibition of Silk Road 20th century were the frozen tombs of the nomadic pastoral- artifacts demonstrates, we are still learning about that history, ists who occupied the Altai mountain region around Pazyryk and many aspects of it are subject to vigorous scholarly debate. in southern Siberia in the middle of the 1st millennium BCE. Most today would agree that Richthofen’s original concept These horsemen have been identified with the Scythians who was too limited in that he was concerned first of all about the dominated the steppes from Eastern Europe to Mongolia.
    [Show full text]
  • The Celebrated Buddhist Traveler and Translator Of
    Early Medieval China 8 (2002) 43 THE MAKING OF A SAINT: IMAGES OF XUANZANG IN EAST ASIA* Dorothy C. Wong University of Virginia The figure ofXuanzang 1: ~ (600-64), the celebrated Buddhist traveler and translator of early Tang China was revered in many different countries and inspired a variety of visual representations and commemorative objects. One of the most common in East Asian tradition is Xuanzang's portrayal as a pilgrin1 and itinerant, wearing sandals and carrying a backpack of siltra scrolls. We are also familiar with his portrayal in Journey to the West (Xiyou ji ~ iRl ~c) by Wu Cheng'en **)~, (ca. 1500-ca. 1582), a novel which fictionalizes Xuanzang's journey to India in the company of the mythical Monkey and other colorful characters. * In the research for this paper, I have relied on many pioneering studies by scholars of the distant past and of more recent times. A number of important sources are acknowledged in the notes but specifics ofthe arguments will not be repeated here except when pertinent. Early versions of this paper were pre­ sented at the College Art Association meeting of February 1999, Los Angeles, and at the International Conference on Dunhuang Studies held at the University of Hong Kong, July 2000. I would like to thank the following individuals for their comments and suggestions: Sylvan Barnet, Terese Tse Bartholomew, Karen Brock, William Burto, Susan Bush, Lokesh Chandra, Chen Jinhua, Robert Gimello, Paul Groner, Jao Tsung-I, Robert Linrothe, Victor H. Mair, Naonli Richard, John Shepherd, and Roderick Whitfield. At the Dunhuang Studies conference in Dunhuang, also summer 2000, I learned that an exhibition titled "The Silk Road and the World of Xuanzang" had opened at the Nara Prefectural Museum the previous summer, and was traveling to other sites in Japan.
    [Show full text]
  • Praise for Faces of Compassion
    Praise for Faces of Compassion “I appreciate Taigen Dan Leighton’s elucidation of the bodhisattvas as archetypes embodying awakened spiritual human qualities and his examples of individuals who personify these aspects. In naming, describing, and illustrating the individual bodhisattvas, his book is an informative and valuable resource.” —Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D., author of Goddesses in Everywoman and Gods in Everyman “Vigorous and inspiring, Faces of Compassion guides the reader into the clear flavors of the awakening life within both Buddhist tradition and our broad contemporary world. This is an informative, useful, and exhilarating work of deeply grounded scholarship and insight.” —Jane Hirshfield, editor of Women in Praise of the Sacred “Such a useful book. Mr. Leighton clarifies and explains aspects of Buddhism which are often mysterious to the uninformed. The concept of the bodhisattva—one who postpones personal salvation to serve others—is the perfect antidote to today’s spiritual materialism where ‘enlightened selfishness’ has been enshrined as dogma for the greedy. This book is as useful as a fine axe.” —Peter Coyote, actor and author of Sleeping Where I Fall “In Faces of Compassion, Taigen Leighton provides us with a clear-as-a- bell introduction to Buddhist thought, as well as a short course in Far Eastern iconography and lore that I intend to use as a desk reference. What astonishes me, however, is that along the way he also manages, with surprising plausibility, to portray figures as diverse as Gertrude Stein, Bob Dylan, and Albert Einstein, among many likely and unlikely others, as equivalent Western expressions of the bodhisattva archetype.
    [Show full text]
  • A Study of the History and Cult of the Buddhist Earth Deity in Mainland Southeast Asia
    A Study of the History and Cult of the Buddhist Earth Deity in Mainland Southeast Asia A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of PhD in Religious Studies at the University of Canterbury by Elizabeth Guthrie University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand 2004 A Study of the History and Cult of the Buddhist Earth Deity in Mainland Southeast Asia Volume 1 Text Acknowledgements Far-ranging research projects like this inevitably depend on the generosity and assistance of many people. Among those who helped me find the earth deity in image and texts, or helped with translations, were: Ang Choulean, K. Aphaivong. Bandol Samnang, Olivier de Bernon, Didier Bertrand, Fran(,{ois Bizot, Robert L. Brown, Kaye Carter, Chuch Phoeun, Shayne Clarke, John Crocker, Denison University Art Gallery, Robert Didham, Wichai Eungpinichpong, Wilai Eungpinichpong, John Marston, Long Tbol, Des Sothy, Anthony Diller, Jacqueline Filliozat, Rolf Giebel, Hang Chan Sophea, Louis Gabaude, Pam Gutman, Anne Hansen, Huberta Hellendoorn, Hor Lath, Khy Sophal, Khyaw Tha Nyunt, Kuy Lath, Fran(,{ois Lagirarde, Lan Sunnary, Leng Kok An, Lim Yii Hang, Long Tbol, Meng Prang, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mey Poeun, Museum flir Indische Kunst, Neou Chamrong, Norton Simon Museum, Ouk Ry, Anatole Peltier, Phaitun Dokbukaeo, Phon Sin, Phoung Soueng, Sommai Premchit, Thonevath Pou, Saveros Pou, Craig Reynolds, Waldemar Sailer, Sao Hso Hom, Peter Skilling, Frank Smith, Ven. Suthep Surapong, Donald Swearer, Thein Tun U, Serge Thion, Ashley Thompson, Vijinthanasarn Panya, U Aung Kyaing, U Myint Aung, RE. Vann Molyvann, John Weeks, Hiram W.Woodward, Jr. I received funding from the NZFUW, NZASIA and the University of Canterbury.
    [Show full text]
  • Imagery of Monks -Bodhidharma and Aṟavaṇa-Aṭikaḷ in Visual Art
    Journal of Fine Arts Volume 2, Issue 4, 2019, PP 4-17 ISSN 2637-5885 Saṅgama of Buddhism in the Asiatic Diaspora: Imagery of Monks -Bodhidharma and Aṟavaṇa-Aṭikaḷ in Visual Art R.K.K. Rajarajan* Gandhigram Rural University, Gandhigram, Tamil Nadu, India *Corresponding Author: R.K.K. Rajarajan, Gandhigram Rural University, Gandhigram, Tamil Nadu, India, Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT Buddhism is a creative religion in Asiatic civilization, creative in the sense the proliferation of a rich literature and visual art leading to Universal Harmony. The present article is an attempt to examine the imagery of Buddhist monks in visual arts with special reference to Bodhidharma/ Aṟavaṇa-aṭikaḷ, propagator of the Buddhist creed. Bodhidharma hailing from Kāñcīpuram lived in China to propagate the Buddhist dharma in the land of Confucianism and Taoism. The imagery of Bodhidharma is popular in Chinese and Japanese annals and visual art through the ages. Visual culture is an authoritative source to demonstrate how a personality was viewed some 1000 or 2000 years ago, e.g. the murals and fresco in the Ajaṇṭā caves that illustrate the Buddhist annals. The Buddha‟s nativity was Nepāḷa, which means his physiognomy should have been of the Mongoloid milieu. The article examines the facial anatomy of the Buddha with reference to monks that propagated Buddhism. Bodhidharma was of the Tamil stock, which means what anthropologists normally designate Drāviḍian. Āryan and Mongolian are of different genres and pigments, viz. Āryan-white, Mongolian-yellow (or golden) and Drāviḍian-black. By the way, the personality of the Mongol reflected in Vassili Yan‟s novelJenghiz Khan is corroborated while dealing with facial anatomy that is known as mukhalakṣaṇa in Indian iconographic jargon.
    [Show full text]